www.thesoutherncross.org.au
The
Southern Cross
May 2012 Page 5
news |
An important part of South Australia's
history relating to the social welfare work
of Australia's first saint, Mary MacKillop,
has been documented and displayed by an
Adelaide businessman.
When Mr Vin Kean first heard that his
Adelaide BMW showroom was located on
the site of the House of Providence, which
Mary MacKillop and her order established
to provide support and shelter to the
underprivileged, he wanted to make sure
the information was accurate.
A committed Catholic with a strong interest
in history, Mr Kean organised a meeting in
August 2010 with the Sisters of St Joseph
provincial leader, Sr Marion Gambin, and
historians Sister Marie Foale and Sister
Patricia Keane.
He then commissioned a thorough search
of the Lands Title archives to uncover
documentation which proved that the site
was, indeed, owned by the Order of the
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
Inc and the Catholic Church Endowment
Society from 1905 to 1951. The house
at 31 West Terrace was sold to the
Commonwealth when the Sisters relocated
to larger premises at Cowandilla.
The Memorandum of Transfer located by
Mr Kean states that the land was bought
for 1,545 pounds on April 11 1905 when
it became available as a deceased estate
following the death of Elizabeth Santo, the
wife of prominent Adelaide businessman
and politician Philip Santo.
Once he had the proof, as well as
additional information about the history of
the site, he commissioned Mr Chris Tillett
of Tillett Memorials to create a plaque set
in granite stone and featuring a photograph
of the two-storey bluestone building, as
well as recognition of St Mary MacKillop
and the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred
Heart.
"This site (the corner of West Tce and
Phillips St) had to be recognised," Mr Kean
told The Southern Cross.
"This is about what Mary did in this city
that we are all part of...the Adelaide gaol
was less than a quarter of a mile from the
residence and the West End brewery was
300 yards away up Phillips Street.
"The West End of the city had people who
were less fortunate, and the Sisters took
them in and fed them, clothed them and
even gave them a bed if they needed it."
The intensely private Mr Kean said the
plaque had nothing to do with his business
but rather was about verifying a piece of
history in our life-time.
The house was, in fact, the only property
owned by the Sisters in the City of
Adelaide. Although they had other
enterprises and schools in the city, they
were rented.
A small ceremony was held in March to
unveil the commemorative plaque that
has been mounted in front of the Adelaide
BMW Showroom.
Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson and
Sister Marion Gambin unveiled the plaque
in the presence of the Sisters of
St Joseph community in South Australia
and friends and supporters of the order.
Retired Supreme Court judge Mr Kevin
Duggan QC spoke about Sir Josiah Henry
Symon, a distinguished lawyer, politician
and advocate for women's rights who
arrived in South Australia from Scotland in
1866 and lived in the house at 31 West Tce
before selling it to Philip Santo.
Sr Marion Gambin said Mary MacKillop's
motto of never seeing a need without
doing something about it was the driving
force behind whatever the Sisters did.
This included establishing the House of
Providence to provide care and shelter for
needy Adelaide women, especially the frail
aged.
She said between 1868 and 1905, the
Providence, which rented any houses it
occupied, moved eight times because
of increasing demand for places and/or
rising rents. In 1905, the diocese and the
Congregation purchased the house at 31
West Tce, and, for the first time in its 37
year history, the Providence had security
of tenure.
"Today's Josephites and the Catholics of
Adelaide are very grateful to Mr Kean for
his sense of history and the steps he has
taken to acknowledge the charitable works
begun by Mary MacKillop and Julian
Woods in Adelaide in the 1860s and now
being carried out in so many parts of this
country and beyond," said Sr Marion.
"This plaque will stand, not only as a
memorial to the Josephites' work, but also
to Mr Kean's generosity in setting it up on
his property."
UNVEILED: Mr Vin Kean (centre) at the unveiling of the plaque with Mr Kevin Duggan QC, Archbishop Philip Wilson, Sr Marie
Foale and Sr Marion Gambin.
Uncovering the West End's past
By Jenny Brinkworth
The Providence, West Terrace, Adelaide 1910. Sisters pictured (L-R) are Elizabeth Etheridge, Claude Riddell, Adrian Rigg,
Modesta Noonan and Hilda McNamara with aged guests on the verandah.